


Small Worlds

by ivyleaguenerd



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Fluff, Hope ya'll enjoy this soft stuff, I have no idea really where this came from I just started typing I guess, M/M, Paul Marner is his usual mean self here, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:01:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27126898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivyleaguenerd/pseuds/ivyleaguenerd
Summary: Mitch struggles to cope with a rough conversation that he has with his father, and no one is around to talk it out with him. So he does what he knows is the safest thing to resort to for comfort.
Relationships: Frederik Andersen/Mitch Marner/Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner/Auston Matthews
Comments: 6
Kudos: 57





	Small Worlds

When Auston came home, he tried to be considerate and quiet. The last text he got from Mitch mentioned that he was taking a nap, and that was around 7:30. This was closer to a reasonable bedtime than nap time, but he figured that he would just let his lover sleep as he so desired. 

Auston arrived home at around 9:45, which was a good two hours into Mitch’s ‘nap’. So he didn’t allow for the lock of the door to click as he stepped inside the apartment, making sure to take his shoes off and avoid any extra noise as he walked around. He placed his bags down near the door, and he slid his shoes over to the little wooden rack they had rather than bother putting them in or moving the other pairs of shoes around to make room. 

If there were too many, the rule was that you had to remove a pair and put them away rather than stack shoes on top of other pairs. To put a pair of shoes away, he’d likely have to open a drawer or pull out the shoe drawer from under their bed and that was sure to make noise. The wheels on the drawers under the bed were shitty and old, so they squeaked as they went across the wooden floor. 

From there, he stepped into the kitchen and he grabbed a mug from the cabinet. He placed it down on a cork mat that was meant to keep things from being knocked over when bumped into. The kitchen alone made it very clear that they had childproofed it to protect themselves from reckless mistakes that would end very messily for either of them. 

He opened the cabinet next to the cups, and he opened a box of green tea to take out a little bag and slip it into his mug. He used the sink to fill his cup with water and stuck the mug in the microwave for a minute and thirty seconds. He stopped the microwave exactly two seconds before it was meant to go off, and he pulled his cup out and placed it back on the cork mat. He reached into the tea cabinet, and he grabbed the little sugar container they had. He took the spoon and put two scoops of sugar into the green tea, and swished it around using a spoon from the drawer. With that, he was pretty much set to go to bed. 

The trip to the bedroom was easy, and the floor wasn’t terribly creaky tonight. He placed the cup down on the little coaster next to the bed, on his nightstand. He shut the door to the bathroom that had been connected to their bedroom because the city beamed in light from the moving and awake city traffic into their bedroom. 

A groan was heard from the bed and from what Auston safely assumed was Mitch shifting around under the covers. 

“Hey sweetie, I’m home. I tried not to wake you cause I know you said you were napping.” Auston gave a soft sigh, and he slid his socks off and tossed them in the general direction of the hamper. 

Mitch pulled the covers off from his upper body, and he revealed his head and his chest. Next to his chin was a little black nose, a white chin, and an orange head of someone else that had not been expected to be under the covers beside Mitch. 

“Who’s that you’re all snuggled up with, huh? They look like they slept real good too.” Auston was now bearing a bright and toothy smile, shocked to see that his boyfriend was sleeping with a little guest that he’d never been introduced to before. 

“His names Freddie! He’s my fox, he protects me!” Mitch was smiling as well, seeing that Auston hadn’t reacted negatively. It allowed him to feel a bit more comfortable, in his state of mind. 

“Freddie the fox, it’s very nice to meet you. Can I give him a little pat on the head or some pets?” Auston remained standing by the bed, just allowing for Mitch to show that he was comfortable being approached. It was clear to Auston that Mitch had regressed, which meant that Mitch was probably really stressed. It was never a good thing to figure out, but he was glad that Mitch had a healthy way to cope with his anxieties and handle them. 

Mitch hopped up, and he sat on his knees before tucking his legs and feet underneath his rear. He held Freddie close to his chest, near his heart as he perched the little stuffed fox in his palm of his hand and held him out to Auston. 

“You gotta be careful cus, cus if he thinks you’s a meanie, he might bite you,” Mitch warned, and he raised his eyebrows at Auston in a beware type of demeanor. 

“Alrighty, I’ll definitely make sure to be careful. Can you tell Freddie that I’m not gonna hurt you?” Auston’s eyes softened, and he pressed his lips together to make a gentle smile. His arms and hands remained by his sides, and he didn’t bother moving them. He didn’t want to startle Mitch or cause any fight or flight sort of panic in any way whatsoever. He wanted to continue to appear as harmless as possible to his regressed partner, who had honestly probably endured something specifically triggering to get to such a place. 

“Freds, he’s not bad. He’s Aussy, he’s a good guy. We don’t bite Aussy, cause he’s nice and he has a doggy.” Mitch whispered to the little stuffed fox, holding its ears close to his mouth as he pets its little head while he spoke to it. 

“Is it safe for me to pet Freddie now? Does he know I’m not bad?” Auston double-checked, simply smiling at the smaller male and his stuffed protector in the bed as they had just talked to one another. It melted Auston’s heart. In some ways, it was absolutely adorable to see his boyfriend act so gentle and careful with a little fox. In other ways, it was worrisome to see his boyfriend trust a fox for protection rather than his partner, and the fear that was clearly ghosting the moment.   
“Yessy, Freds not angry with you. So long as you don’t make me upset, Freds likey.” Mitch held his fox out towards Auston with both hands.

Which was permission enough for Auston to slowly place a knee on the mattress and slide into the bed, crisscrossing his legs. He reached a hand up to the little fox, and he pet it very gently and smiled up to Mitch. 

“He likes you! He likes you, he likes you!” Mitch yelped, excitedly. It was always comforting to see his eyes light up with the rest of his face, and to see his facial expressions calm. 

“Mitchy, sweetie, I have a question,” Auston whispered, as he dropped his hand from the little fox’s head and let it lay in his lap. 

“Mmhm?” Mitch hummed, and he glanced his eyes up to Auston’s before he swayed side to side in the spot patiently. 

“Can I pet you like I pet Freddie? Is that okay?” Auston made sure to keep his hands still once again, and give Mitch the chance to say no or express being uncomfortable with the idea. 

“No-no thank you, Aussy. Just.. makes me a lil’ nervous, I think.” Mitch mumbled, feeling bad that he had to say no to Auston. It did make him nervous though, or it would make him feel nervous. He had a good reason for it, though. 

“Then maybe… Do you mind telling me why Freddie came out to protect you tonight, sweetie?” Auston was still gentle with his tone. It certainly didn’t bother him that Mitch said no, but it did further concern him. He hoped that Mitch would allow him the insight as to why he was so stressed so that he could provide proper care and responses to calm Mitch down a bit better. 

“Freds helping me not be stressed. Cus I had to speak to... The big meanie today, and.. and Freds helped me calm down. Cus you were busy and-and I wasn’t gon’ bother you.” Mitch was still talking quietly as if he was ashamed to admit what had sent him towards the option to regress. 

“You had to speak to your dad or Babcock?” Auston asked just for clarification, knowing that it would certainly sting a little to have to be asked. It had to be asked though to understand what the scenario was. 

“I talked to dad, cus he was angry with my last game.” Mitch lifted his thumb to meet his lips and bite down on the nail, and he looked his head down. It was a lot harder to keep eye contact when he was nervous, and it was a touchy subject that he had to speak on. 

“Hey, don’t bite your nails, please, sweetie,” Auston caught the nervous habit in the making, and he lifted a hand to swipe the hand away. He didn’t think at all before he had done so, which he immediately regretted due to the reaction from Mitch that followed. 

“No, no, please!” Mitch whimpered out, and he scooted back on the bed as he clung to the animal. The fox was buried in his arms and close to his chest, and he had closed his eyes as a natural response. 

“Shit, oh, Mitchy, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Auston shuddered, and he shook his head as his eyes were filled with deep sorrow. His boyfriend, who he’d never hit before in his life, had jumped away from his hand because he thought it was going to be used to hit him. He sat back and made sure to tuck both of his hands under his thighs to assure Mitch that he was not going to use them against him. 

Mitch opened his eyes, and he furrowed his brows as if he had to take a minute to examine the other man and his countenance to determine his safety. 

“Mitchy, I’m so terribly sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, but I would never hit you. I’m not him, I’m Auston, it’s me.” Auston reminded, keeping his voice quiet and meaning every single thing he was saying. 

“S’okay, sorry I gotsa a lil’ scared. Just didn’t know.” Mitch sat back up, and he scooted a little closer to Auston. The same distance from one another as there had been when Auston originally sat down. 

“Is Freddie mad at me now?” Auston chewed on the inside of his lips, trying to make sure he didn’t seem too nervous around Mitch. That’d just cause more anxiety, and Mitch clearly didn’t need that right now. 

“No, no, Freds just got worried, cus... He doesn’t want me to get hurt by nobody.” Mitch explained, and he continued to pet the stuffed animal’s head to calm himself. His breathing had gotten a little shaky, shallow even. Something inside of him knew that Auston would never and that Auston was not the enemy. Yet the rest of him feared for his life as if he intended on walking on eggshells and trying to stay quiet to protect himself from any punishment. 

“I’m not going to hurt you. I promise. Do you want to make a pinky promise for that?” Auston knew a pinky promise was talking in more of what Mitch’s language was. He hoped it worked, like, cross your fingers type of hope. 

“We can pinky promise!” Mitch’s voice was bright again, and way less nervous than only seconds before. Knowing that Auston was going to promise his safety was always way more relieving than having to go through the fears of danger alone. 

“Alrighty sweetie, can I make two pinky promises?” Auston was going to nail two birds with one stone. 

“Wha’s the next one?” Mitch tilted his head a little to the side, like a confused puppy. Big eyes, a curious little smile, and gentle little flutterings of his eyelashes. 

“Can I also promise to protect you? From the bad men, and from all the things that make you nervous? Like Freddie does?” Auston slid a hand out from under his thigh but kept it close to his kneecap just to avoid spooking Mitch. He needed to hear a yes before he actually went and made any moves. 

“You would do that? For Mitchy?” Mitch’s eyes were soft, and his head was no longer tilted. His cheeks grew a little red at the thought of Auston donating his care, concern, and protection to him. It wasn’t something that had never happened before, but Freddie had certainly never been in the middle of the conversation the last time he regressed. 

“Absolutely. I can give you one of my hoodies, so everyone knows that you’re mine and safe with me. So they know not to mess with you, and I can hold your hand when you gotta leave the bed so that you don’t have to go anywhere alone. I promise, I gotcha little Mitchy.” Auston held his pinky out, and he gave a kindred closed-lipped smile. 

Mitch’s nose twitched a few times before he decided to allow Auston to melt his heart and the gates to his heart. He stuck his pinky finger out, and he wrapped it around Auston’s. While they were both around the same height range, Mitch had always been smaller than Auston. So his pinky looked like a little kid’s, and it made him giggle to see. 

“So what do you want me to do for you first, baby boy?” Auston slid his hand over Mitch’s, and he rubbed his thumb in little zig-zags and circles on the back. 

“Can I.. can I pretty please have one of you’s hoodies? With the big name on the back?” Mitch’s cheeks were totally red now, and he seemed so shy about the little question. 

“Oh, of course, sweetie.” Auston cooed, and he rubbed Mitch’s shoulder furthest from him to really draw home the consideration and compassion he had for Mitch. 

“Please and thank you, Mister Aus-ton,” Mitch sat with one hand under his thigh, and the other hand holding Freddie the fox, petting and scratching his ears. He swayed side to side in the bed, his legs all crossed and tangled among themselves as he looked up at Auston. 

Auston slid off the bed and walked across the room to grab his hoodie from the closet. He sifted through a few of the sweaters and hoodies on the hangers before taking the one he knew Mitch wanted, sliding it off the hanger and handing it to Mitch. 

“Is this the one, this is the one you wanted right, baby boy?” Auston asked as he watched Mitch extend both hands out to grab it.

Mitch sat up from the spot in the bed and used his legs to push him forward and upward from the mattress to reach the hoodie before grabbing it and sitting himself back down to slide it on. He pulled the hood up and he pulled the sleeves over his hands, and gripped them in his palms, loving the way the sleeves were long enough to cover his hands. 

“Mmh! Tank yous sososo much Mister Aus-ton.” Mitch had a beaming smile, as he hid in the hoodie and it’s size and swayed side to side again but with pure satisfaction. 

“You are so very welcome, little man. You look so cozy and warm, do you feel happier to be wearing it?” Auston slid a foot down onto the bed before placing his rear down and sitting comfortably in the bed, in front of Mitch. He was closer than he had been before but wasn’t touching him yet. 

“Mmh, I love it sososo much. So comfy, big warm comfy.” Mitch mumbled, tilting his head down and his neck into itself so he could hide his lips and bottom half of his face in the neck of the hoodie, wearing the collar of it over his nose. 

“Silly boy, it’s hiding your face from me. I wanna see you, I wanna see that beautiful smile, please?” Auston requested, and he maintained his patience to resist moving the hood off of Mitch’s head and sliding his head out of the little hiding space he’d created for it. 

“Nuh-uh, it’sa dumby smile. All crooked, ‘nd looks real dumby.” Mitch expressed, shaking his head no as he shielded his face using his hands now from the other man. 

“Mitch, sweetie, please let me see your beautiful face?” Auston repeated the question, in an attempt to get his lovely boyfriend to just give in to his request. 

“Fine…” Mitch sighed, dropping his hands from his face and puffing his bottom lip out to show his disappointment with the persistent question. 

“There you go, what a handsome little boy. Can I please hear what happened between you and Mr. Meanie?” Auston needed to get to the bottom of this and try to soothe Mitch of all the tension he was experiencing. 

“You’s asked real nicey. Maybe it’s okay that I tell you?” Mitch looked up and over to Auston, his eyes wide and questioning, not sure whether or not he was making the right choice by inviting Auston to have a VIP glance to the inside of his head. 

“It’s okay to tell me if you’d like, I’d love to hear what happened, sweetie. I won’t judge you for anything that happened.” Auston assured, and he moved a hand out to rub his kneecap, extremely slow. 

“Okay, okay, I-I’ll tell you’s, gimme-gimme few seconds to remember everythin’.” Mitch glanced at the gentle notion, and he gave a small smile to show his gratitude for the simple moment. 

After a few minutes of silence and Mitch’s anxious knee bouncing underneath Auston’s hand, he cleared his throat before finding the courage within himself to speak up. 

“So uhm, started with talkin’ bout my gameplay, the time on ice and stuff, then talkin’ bout you… and me and bein’ together, and-and how we’re y’know, I just, it was so mean. I didn’t do anythin’ badly on purpose, I wasn’t tryna play bad and do bad. I was tryna make everyone happy, help and-and no one really gets it, he’s sayin’ bout how I’m only the fourth cause I can’t be the first best or anythin’ in top three, even if I’m a star in the game,” Mitch was beginning to ramble on and choke himself up with the emotions he’d experienced when he had endured the phone call. 

“Hey, hey, listen to me. Mitchy, baby boy, please, listen to me for a second, please,” Auston pleaded, slipping both of his hands up Mitch’s arms to try to soothingly rub his biceps and calm him down. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You weren’t to blame for that game, okay? You can’t control the entire outcome of a game all by yourself. You do know that, right? You need to remember that, baby.” Auston continued, and he waited for some sort of affirmation to show that Mitch was in fact listening to him. After a clear nod, he proceeded to explain the concept to Mitch. “If I play in the game with everyone, and I spend a good thirty minutes on ice but I don’t score and I don’t make any assists and we lose the game, is it my fault?” Auston asked, trying to get Mitch to fully understand the reasoning but from a different perspective. 

“No, ‘cause it’s not all up to you to win for us as a team of a lotta people.” Mitch’s voice was still soft, and he sounded like he was responding to someone’s scolding him. 

“That’s the same way that it applies to you, okay? It isn’t all my fault just as much as it isn’t all yours, you see?” Auston gave a nod and used a thumb on the bottom of his chin to lift his head up, so Mitch was giving him eye contact. 

“Mmh, but he still y’know, yelled at me and scared me, scared me real bad and Freddie got mad bout it,” Mitch explained, and he shifted his lips side to side.   
“I know baby, I know. I’m sorry, sweetie. I’m here now though, and so is Freddie, and we won’t let anything happen to you any time soon. He won’t be yelling at you tonight, he won’t be anywhere near you, okay? I’m here, I’m going to be here and I’m not going to let anyone bad near you.” Auston placed his other hand back on Mitch’s shoulder, rubbing them up and down again in a soothing motion to ease him again. 

“Promise? You promise, Mr. Aus-ton?” Mitch was petting the little stuffed fox again, rubbing his index and middle fingers over the top of its head repeatedly. He picked his hand up and held his pinky out once again, currently having more faith in the promise bound by two pinkies than in a legal document signed and dated. 

“Yes, I absolutely promise, sweetie.” On that exact cue, Auston wrapped his pinky right back around Mitch’s, and he flashed another gentle smile. 

“You’s sleepy?” Mitch did feel tired, especially after reiterating the events that unraveled between his conversation with his father. It wasn’t something he was ever keen to talk about, regressed or not. He didn’t have too many positive conversations to share with regards to his father, and it was well-established between the two that this was the case. 

“Yes baby, you wanna head to bed?” Auston cooed, patting the mattress right beside his lap to signal that he should lay down. He laid down among his own desire to do so, and he tucked both his legs under the covers and pulled the covers back for Mitch to slide under. 

Mitch nodded, following suit and reaching both his hands out and over Auston’s lap, making a little grabby motion. 

“What’s up baby, what do you need? What are you grabbing for?” Auston glanced over to him, and he placed both his hands in Mitch’s needy ones and giggled at the way that Mitch released them, and moved them away as if to show that he wasn’t interested in that. 

“You gotta speak up baby, or else I can’t give you whatever it is you want.” Auston chuckled, searched around his lap to see if anything else was there for Mitch to be craving. 

Mitch used a finger to point at the cup of tea, and he whined from the back of his throat to express his desire once again. 

“Oh silly goose, here you go. Just ask me next time, you gotta try and use your words.” Auston handed him the cup, and Mitch stirred the sugar around in the cup before taking a few sips and handing it right back to Auston. 

After the cup of tea was finished, Auston laid down against the pillows so that Mitch could curl up against his chest and he did, tucking in the stuffed fox alongside his neck and Auston’s chest. Mitch had even pulled the covers up and over the little fox, making sure to leave the little head out so the fox could breathe with ease. For obvious reasons, Auston’s heart swole ten times the original size at the sight. He slid his phone off the nightstand and picked it up, sliding his finger across the screen just far enough to take a quick picture of the beautiful scenery he was surrounded by before placing the phone back down to settle into bed.


End file.
